‘They all earn it’: Curley defends Seahawks players ahead of millionaire’s tax vote

As nearly one million fans cheered on their beloved Seahawks during the Super Bowl parade through downtown Seattle, KIRO host John Curley couldn’t help but warn some of them about an upcoming bill that could hurt the players they love dearly.

With the potential of the millionaire’s tax being on the 2026 ballot, Curley forecasted what an income tax would mean for some of the city’s biggest athletes, who put their health and safety on the line every week for others’ entertainment.

“For those of you who were cheering at the parade yesterday, I’m sure you were very happy to yell out and scream as your favorite players were going by,” Curley said. “Keep in mind the love that you have for all of them, because come November, it looks like the millionaire’s tax will possibly be on the ballot.

“Let’s imagine them going by just like the day before the election, and you’ve got a chance to vote yes or no on the millionaire’s tax, and they’re going by you on a float, and you’re yelling, screw you, rich guy. I’m gonna make you pay money,” Curley continued. “Hey, Darnold, you suck. You owe us $3.2 million. These are the same guys you love, but you’re going to be in favor of the millionaire tax because you don’t like millionaires?”

Why Curley believes Seattle’s athletes deserve every dollar

Curley noted the massive wear and tear the Seahawks players go through on their bodies, which he sees as why they get paid in the millions, because they deserve it.

“They all earn it. The damage to their bodies and the amount of dedication that it takes to play professional football at such a level, they make sacrifices every single day. They could possibly suffer an injury that is debilitating for life,” Curley said. “That’s the weirdest part of it. If you sat there and said, ‘By the way, I know you make $27.5 million, but you really don’t need that much. So we’re going to take a piece of it, because, let’s face it, it’s not fair.'”

Straying from professional athletes, Curley put the same millionaire’s tax into perspective through an average businessman, who takes similar risks, though they are strictly financial.

“A good friend of mine lost millions when COVID hit,” Curley said. “When I asked what he’d do, he said, ‘I’ll just do it again. I have to start over, but I know how I did it before, so I’ll just follow the same pattern and rebuild it. It cost me my marriage, and a whole bunch of other things, but I’ll start over.’

“If somebody is willing to risk their capital, risk their time, risk their investment, and they fail, they’re an entrepreneur,” Curley continued. “But if they succeed and they hit, then they get the money. Then you have people like our beloved Mayor Katie Wilson, whom I endorsed, saying, ‘Well, they don’t really deserve it because it’s not fair. They’re making more than somebody else.’ Just keep that in mind.”

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to John Curley weekday afternoons from 3 – 7 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.

Follow @https://twitter.com/jcurleyshow